Since the 1940s, the Tar Heels have been one of the premier programs in college basketball. Under Dean Smith they rose even higher as Smith would lead UNC to 879 wins, 17 conference titles and two national championships. Smith’s teams featured an enormous number of NBA greats led by Michael Jordan, but with enough all-stars to rival any all-time roster.

Since Smith retired in 1997, the Tar Heels have had their ups and downs, but their talent level has always remained sky high. Under current coach Roy Williams they have experienced as much success as they ever have, winning national championships in 2005 and 2009. Both of those teams produced multiple first-round draft picks who experienced varying levels of NBA success.

However, the two biggest names among current NBA Tar Heels are still from the Dean Smith era, with Jamison and Carter, who were selected fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 1998 NBA Draft. It's unlikely that the stable of UNC alums in the NBA will grow in this draft as all its stars returned to school in hopes of bringing Williams his third national championship.